Most golf fans who turned on the 2025 Masters — and there were a lot of them — probably didn’t notice anything out of ordinary about the famed Amen Corner.
More specifically, the wonderfully difficult par-3 12th hole to the untrained eye looked as beautiful as ever. The flowers were in full bloom as always, the tall Georgia pines soared over the tiny green and its surrounding bunkers, while Rae’s Creek provided its typical cover for one of the most famous golf holes on the planet.
However, Masters diehards knew it wasn’t quite the same. That’s not to say it was any worse than years past, but the famed hole certainly looked a little bit different. That was by no fault of anyone other than Mother Nature, and for the hole to look almost exactly the same as we’ve come to expect it, is a borderline miracle and a testament to the Augusta National Golf Club grounds crew.
That’s because a few months before the Masters, Hurricane Helene ripped through Georgia, including Augusta. The deadly storm ransacked the southeast in late September of 2024. It did a lot of damage to the golf course, too, with trees going down across the property.
New Augusta National Flood Video Is Jaw-Dropping
The massive rainfall overwhelmed Amen Corner, too, with the creek flooding. While the source isn’t exactly known, a TikTok video recently went viral on golf social media showing the real-time damage, and it’s staggering to see.
Again, how the video got out is unknown, and chances are, the extremely private and protective Augusta National probably doesn’t like that it’s been made public.
That being said: It makes the club look even better. It can’t be overstated just how impressive the efforts to repair the damage are.
New-Look Masters Still Got Plenty of Love
The biggest impact, from a visual standpoint, came from the trees. The wind knocked down at least hundreds of trees, maybe even more. The 12th was no different, and the before-and-after photos tell a jarring story.
( 📸©30MAY2024 EurekaEarth)
( 📸©19OCT2024 EurekaEarth)
#TheMasters #Masters2025
For the true golf sickos, seeing the new look took some getting used to. However, the changes garnered plenty of positive feedback.
“I just think it looks better,” former Masters champion Fred Couples told reporters ahead of the 2025 tournament. ” … There’s a few areas where it blew right through there, but for me personally, I know a lot of trees went down. I know this town was devastated, but the golf course is unbelievable. But the trees, I couldn’t tell you if they lost 10 important areas where the trees were. I don’t think so. My God.”
The 1992 champion maintained the 12th was still the sport’s most beautiful but also difficult par 3.
“When you’re standing up there and you’re trying so hard and maybe you’re 1 behind and you have an eight or 9-iron, everyone thinks, well, they have an 8 or 9-iron; you can make a birdie. When in reality, you want a 3 and get the hell out of there. And it’s just hard to do.
And for all the ups and downs 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy endured on the second nine in the final round, he survived the 12th with a tidy par before eventually beating Justin Rose in a playoff.
Wild Augusta National Flood Video Makes 2025 Masters More Remarkable